Environmental Simulator
An 'Environmental Simulator ' is a virtual reality system used by civilizations of the Planetary Union. Users design programs including interactable synthetic environments, objects, and virtual persons with customized personalities. The purpose of a Simulator is primarily recreational. The Simulator uses force fields and holographic projections to generate virtual environments. Description Layout Observed Environmental Simulators consist of at least two rooms, the first being the simulation room proper and the second room housing the computer that generates the simulation. The simulation room measures roughly 4.5 sq. meters (15 ft.); and is covered with lined panels resembling a graph, presumably for the computer to approximate relative distances and movement. Although users appear to traverse vast distances in a simulation, in the episode Firestorm, it is clear that any live users move very little, and that the computer alters what is sensed in order to create the illusion of movement.Episode Ten: Firestorm. The computer may cause the actual exit door to appear in a simulation.Episode One: Old Wounds. The computer room observes the simulation room from above through one-way glass. It contains a monitor, keyboard, and access to the ship's simulator. Bio-signs of any participant may be observed, such as levels of adrenaline. Simulations The Environmental Simulator is interactive with real-world consequences. Not only can users actually sense what is simulated through sight, hearing, smell, and touch, but a program can be adjusted to cause harm or even kill the user as well, The simulator is limited, however, as users do not have costumes projected onto them; they must show up in non-simulated costume. The Simulator provides a valuable psychological benefit to the crew of a space vessel. It allows crewmembers to experience the sensations of their home planets after prolonged periods in deep space, or simply serve as a source of needed recreation. Gravity, light, and other sensations can be simulated to recreate any desired experience. Simulated characters come with pre-programmed default personalities,Bond, Jeff. The World of the Orville. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 54. that may be re-programmed at will by the player. Locations Environmental Simulators seem to be ubiquitous throughout Union space, as they are used in both official Union facilities and in popular recreational locales. * Union vessels -''' 'Environmental Simulators may be found in major Union vessels, although the only directly-attested simulator placed in a Union ship is the mid-level exploratory craft, the [[USS Orville|USS ''Orville]]. * Earth - Planetary Union Central boasts at least seven Environmental Simulators. * Moclus - Second Officer Bortus describes a date with his mate, Klyden, in an Environmental Simulator on the planet Moclus at the Moclan Central Arcade.Episode Three: About a Girl. History Old Wounds At Planetary Union Central, Ed Mercer finds Gordon Malloy playing a combat game in Environmental Simulator 7. Malloy fights Justin, an ax-wielding ogre, in a samurai village. About a Girl is the Orville's most frequent user of the simulator.]] Captain Mercer, Lieutenant Malloy, and Lieutenant John LaMarr dress as United States Marshalls and face 19th century bandidos ''in a gun battle. However, Malloy had tinkered with the program beforehand and the standoff turns into a dance competition. Mere days later, lieutenant Alara Kitan boxes with Bortus in an attempt to show him that women are capable of feats equal to men. During Tribunal, Bortus describes a [[Gomaskah|''gomaskah]], a first date, with Klyden as playing combat games within a simulator at the Moclan Central Arcade. In late 2419, Mercer takes Pria Lavesque, a new guest aboard the Orville, to the Environmental Simulator to experience a recreation of the planet Unuk 4. After witnessing the death of a crewmember, Kitan is seen in the Simulator, pummeling a suspended punching bag. She is interrupted by Malloy, LaMarr, and Bortus in 18th century French apparel, complaining that they have the Simulator reserved. The Orville's Environmental Simulator serves as a crucial plot device in Firestorm. In which Alara Kitan tests her ability to handle fear through a series of simulated trials involving dangerous or terrifying situations, created by drawing on the real phobias of the Orville bridge crew. The program is designed by Isaac and authorization to allow real-world harm is granted by Doctor Claire Finn (which Kitan obtained by deceiving Finn). The experience nearly kills Kitan. Simulator characters *Justin *Vásquez Appearances *''Episode 1: Old Wounds'' *''Episode 3: About a Girl'' *''Episode 5: Pria'' *''Episode 8: Into the Fold'' *''Episode 10: Firestorm'' *''Episode 11: New Dimensions Trivia * Parallels of the Environmental Simulator exist in the popular sci-fi series [[w:c:memory-alpha:Star Trek|''Star Trek]]: the holodeck and the holosuite. References Category:Technology Category:USS Orville Category:Spacecraft sections